Disney’s historic El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is one of five theaters in the world to combine the Dolby Vision advanced laser projection system (created in partnership with Christie Digital) and Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. The facility, which first opened its doors in 1926, now features two Christie 6P 4K laser projectors and more than 100 speakers. Audio engineer, musician and tech journalist Ryan Waniata viewed a screening of Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland” and was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater. Continue reading El Capitan Theatre Marries Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos Tech

Industrial Light & Magic has created a new division with a focus on developing virtual reality and augmented reality experiences for movie fans. ILMxLAB is planning to debut an entertainment experience based on “Star Wars” later this year. It has been working on technology for the iPad and Oculus Rift that would allow consumers to enter their favorite movie scenes and navigate through them. ILMxLAB execs indicate that the technology could launch when the J.J. Abrams-helmed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is released in mid-December. Continue reading New ILM Team Developing Immersive VR and AR Experiences

AltspaceVR, a virtual reality communications platform backed by Google Ventures, enables multiple users from anywhere in the world to gather and share a virtual space. Unlike the text-based chat rooms of the 1990s, AltspaceVR uses computer cameras and Leap Motion trackers to translate users’ movements, mannerisms and gestures into the virtual world. It has been described as “Second Life for the first person.” AltspaceVR, now open to the public, was founded in 2013 and is led by Eric Romo, a former SpaceX propulsion lead analyst. Continue reading Venture-Backed AltspaceVR Creates Virtual Reality Chat Room

Indiana University Athletics received a $5 million gift from IU alumnus Mark Cuban — owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres and Magnolia Pictures — to build a video broadcasting center with a focus on 3D broadcast, virtual reality and 3D virtual studio technologies. The Mark Cuban Centre for Sports Media and Technology is slated to open in the spring of 2017. According to Rapid TV News, “IU students will produce a wide variety of media content for IU Athletics, including virtual-reality videos for fan experience, athlete instruction, recruiting videos and social media, as well as video-board displays, team-specific shows and live event broadcasts for all 24 IU sports.”

Twitter is taking on Google and Facebook, today’s leaders in online video advertising, with the introduction of ads that play automatically in users’ timelines. The new function will also apply to GIFs and Vine videos. “When users scroll through their Twitter feeds and see a video, it will begin to automatically play while muted,” The Wall Street Journal explains. “Clicking on the video will play it in its entirety in the full-screen viewer with sound. Think Facebook-style video, as opposed to the model that requires a click to start playing.” Since video ads command higher rates than display ads, the auto-play feature represents a much-needed financial opportunity for Twitter.

ViewSonic plans to debut new 1080p projectors this August that feature SuperColor tech for enhanced brightness and color accuracy. The LightStream Full HD projectors, which will run a suggested $943-$1,174, offer a brightness range of 3200-3500 lumens. The projectors also feature SonicExpert audio tech that enables a wider frequency range and less distortion. According to TWICE, “The projectors display 3D images from 3D Blu-ray players, feature two HDMI ports, and offer a variety of other in/outs, including RGB, composite, mini USB, USB, and audio in/out.” The models also include the option to wirelessly stream multimedia content.

The 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo opens it doors in Los Angeles today following a series of press conferences from major players such as Bethesda, EA, Microsoft, Sony and Ubisoft. This year we expect to see a new emphasis on virtual and augmented reality, wearable devices, online gaming and mobile apps. At last year’s show, only six companies were dedicated to VR; this week, there will be 27. Also, 74 companies touting mobile and online gaming products will be in attendance. According to Gartner, worldwide mobile revenue is expected to nearly double to $22 billion this year. Continue reading E3 Expected to Focus on AR, VR, Online, Mobile and Wearables

After this week’s launch in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Sony’s cloud-based TV service PlayStation Vue is now available in four of the five largest U.S. cities (Vue is also offered in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia). The service starts at $49.99 per month, and features more than 50 channels of live TV from three major networks and a collection of popular cable channels. Addressed during the company’s E3 press conference, Vue is part of a larger effort to make the company’s PlayStation console a multi-purpose entertainment hub. Continue reading Sony Announces New Markets for Cloud-Based Vue TV Service

Worldwide over-the-top TV and video revenues are projected to reach $51.1 billion by 2020, a significant increase from the $26 billion anticipated this year. In addition, SVoD revenue is expected to surpass that of OTT advertising. “According to the ‘Global OTT TV & Video Forecasts’ report from Digital TV Research, the U.S. will remain the dominant territory,” reports Advanced Television, “with OTT TV and video revenues rising by $16.6 billion between 2010 and 2020 to $19.1 billion… OTT revenues will exceed $1 billion in 11 countries by 2020.” China is projected to reach fourth place in global rankings.

Liu Chunning, president of Alibaba’s Digital Entertainment arm, announced that the Chinese e-commerce giant is planning to launch a new subscription video service in two months called Tmall Box Office (TBO). “We aim to become [the equivalent of] HBO and Netflix in the U.S.,” he said during the Shanghai International Film Festival. The service will stream local movies and TV shows, imported content and original programming produced by Alibaba. The service will be available on Alibaba’s smart TVs and OTT box. Continue reading TBO: Alibaba Announces Plans for Subscription Video Service

Netflix announced the launch of its new website, the first major update in four years. The goal is to provide subscribers with a “richer, more visual experience.” The site promises expanded search functions, more detailed content descriptions, improved speed and better animations. “The site is also touch-friendly, meaning those who are browsing on mobile devices can tap to play content, view details about a movie or show, or swipe to scroll instead of click,” reports TechCrunch. “You can also explore similar titles through a new ‘More Like This’ link at the bottom of the page, or even be directed to titles from the same cast, genre, or mood.”

After steadily releasing iOS apps as part of its “mobile to desktop to workflows” initiative, Adobe is updating its Android offerings with four new apps. The company also just released “a new stock photo service, a video-focused iOS app and a suite of updates to its Creative Cloud lineup of desktop apps,” explains Mashable. Users will have access to 40 million stock images with the new Stock application, while Creative Cloud users will be able to upload stock images and receive payments when their images are used. “On the mobile side, Adobe’s Brush, Shape Color and Photoshop Mix apps are all available on Android with the same features as their iOS counterparts.”

Disney/ABC Television Group Executive VP of Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer Vince Roberts received the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award from the Entertainment Technology Center@USC on June 11. ETC’s Studio Technology Leaders Dinner, held at USC’s Town and Gown, brought together influential media, entertainment and technology executives from major studios and leading tech companies. The evening also featured a panel of top studio tech leaders discussing the most pressing trends, challenges and opportunities facing the entertainment industry. Continue reading ETC and the Entertainment Tech Industry Honor Vince Roberts

“Jurassic World” posted $204.6 million in estimated domestic weekend sales, and $511.8 million worldwide. The film, released by Universal Pictures with backing from Legendary Entertainment, landed just behind “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which took in $207.4 million in May 2012. “A slight uptick on Sunday could push ‘Jurassic World’ past ‘The Avengers’ after final weekend sales are tallied, and its worldwide take was also poised to set new performance marks,” reports The New York Times. According to RealD, 3D screens were responsible for about 48 percent of “Jurassic World” domestic sales.

Verizon showed Rep Guidance, software that provides its FiOS sales and support representatives with individualized data designed to improve customer service and experience, at a recent NY Meetup event. According to a Verizon representative, “It’s about streamlining and simplifying the conversation, fostering a more intelligent, better-informed experience with customers rather than having a back and forth exchange and having the rep ask the customer questions that, frankly, they expect we should know anyway.” Continue reading New Verizon Software Delivers Customer Service Intelligence